The States With the Most Debt Per Capita, Ranked (#1 Might Surprise You)

The States With the Most Debt Per Capita, Ranked (#1 Might Surprise You)

Just how much money would you owe your state to cover its debt? It depends on where you live.

Some states are carrying much more debt than others, especially ones with large populations. In fact, six states carry more than $100 billion in debt, including places like California, Texas, and New York, with a high number of residents. But when you break that debt down on a per-resident basis, the debt may seem more manageable, or more burdensome depending on the state.

Here’s how much debt you might owe if your state were going to ask you for some extra funds to cover their costs, according to Visual Capitalist, using data from the Reason Foundation.

Government State Debt | Visual Capitalist/Voronoi

The Top 10 List of Debt Per Capita

While Connecticut has less than $100 billion in debt, its small population would be burdened by extra costs if it were divided on a per-capita basis. The state’s $94.4 billion would come out to more than $26,000 per resident.

Second-place New Jersey is one of two states with more than $100 billion in debt, with $213.4 billion. You can compare that to neighboring New York, which carries a higher $233.3 billion in debt. But the state’s higher population means the per-capita debt is only $11,547—almost half of what a New Jersey resident would owe.

Fifth-place Illinois is also in the 12-digit-debt club with $222.8 billion in debt. That breaks down to $17,391 per resident, which is lower than much smaller states like Delaware and Hawaii when it’s distributed over its 12.7 million residents. By comparison, Delaware only has around 1 million residents while Hawaii has a population of 1.4 million.

Rank

State

Government State Debt Per Capita (2023)

Total Debt

1

Connecticut

$26,187

$94.4B

2

New Jersey

$22,968

$213.4B

3

Hawaii

$18,909

$27.5B

4

Delaware

$17,535

$17.4B

5

Illinois

$17,391

$222.8B

6

Massachusetts

$17,082

$120.1B

7

Wyoming

$15,433

$8.9B

8

Alaska

$14,861

$10.9B

9

North Dakota

$13,357

$10.4B

10

California

$12,565

$496.8B

States With Lower Debt Per Capita

Tennessee has $13.5 billion in debt overall, or around $2,000 per resident, making it the state with the least amount of per-capita debt. Despite the low per-capita cost, it is the only state in the top five least debt-burdened states to have more than $10 billion in debt.

Second-place Utah has around $2,000 per person in debt, with only $6.6 billion overall. Third-place Nebraska carries around $5 billion in total debt for the state, or $2,503 per person.

Where Debt Burden Comes From

States face shortfalls due to a combination of issues that can end up costing them more money on their balance sheet than others.

One of the biggest driving factors is pensions. Government workers who receive a state pension are pulling from funds that may not have set aside enough cash over the years, causing debt issues now.

Illinois, for example, has one of the highest per-capita debt burdens because of its pension system. The state has $145 billion in debt on its balance sheet because of its pensions, making up around 65% of its overall debt. Second-place California has $90 billion in pension debt but an overall debt of $496.8 billion. That makes its pension obligations only 18% of its debt. Tennessee, however, has a low pension burden, which reduces its budget obligations to cover a pension fund.

Another factor adding to debt is how much a state relies on federal funds to cover its state costs, with some states using more federal funds than others to help with its budget.

The lowest-debt state of Tennessee, for example, relies on federal funds to cover 26.4% of its state budget, accounting for $21.5 billion in federal funds. On the other end of the scale, debt-burdened Connecticut covers 23.5% of its budget with state funds.


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Deadspin | Kelsey Mitchell lifts Fever over Mercury in wild finish <div id=""><section id="0" class=" w-full"><div class="xl:container mx-0 !px-4 py-0 pb-4 !mx-0 !px-0"><img src="https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-1200,fo-auto/29362784.jpg" srcset="https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-400,fo-auto/29362784.jpg 400w, https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-800,fo-auto/29362784.jpg 800w, https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-1200,fo-auto/29362784.jpg 1200w" alt="Jul 9, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) defends against Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston (7) in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images" class="w-full" sizes="1200px" fetchpriority="high" loading="eager"/><span class="text-0.8 leading-tight">Jul 9, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) defends against Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston (7) in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<!-- --> <!-- --> </span></div></section><section id="section-1"> <p>There were five lead changes in the final 45 seconds of regulation, with the decisive basket coming on Kelsey Mitchell’s driving finger roll with 10.1 seconds remaining to lift the visiting Indiana Fever to a 92-89 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday.</p> </section><section id="section-2"> <p>Indiana (13-9) trailed by as many as 10 points in the fourth quarter, but an 11-0 run that included 3-pointers by Sophie Cunningham, Mitchell and Tyasha Harris set the stage for a wild finale.</p> </section><section id="section-3"> <p>Phoenix (8-15) ended the Fever spurt on a DeWanna Bonner 3-pointer with 2:48 to go. The resulting 82-80 Mercury lead transitioned into a back-and-forth finish with multiple ties.</p> </section><section id="section-4"> <p>Kahleah Copper finished with 22 points, matching Alyssa Thomas for the team lead. Thomas also delivered one of the lead-swapping buckets for Phoenix, cleaning up a deflected ball from Copper at the rim to answer Aliyah Boston’s make in the paint on the other end.</p> </section><section id="section-5"> <p>Boston, returning to the Indiana lineup after missing Wednesday’s first leg of a back-to-back in Los Angeles, finished with 21 points and nine rebounds. Harris added 15 points, including seven in the final four minutes on a variety of clutch baskets.</p> </section><br/><section id="section-6"> <p>It was Mitchell delivering the ultimate game-winner, fittingly, to cap her game-high 29-point performance. After Thomas’ go-ahead score, Indiana cleared the floor to allow Thomas to operate one-on-one.</p> </section> <section id="section-7"> <p>She created just enough space driving left to get off her scooping layup and seal the win. Mitchell also dished out a game-high eight assists.</p> </section><section id="section-8"> <p>Phoenix had one last opportunity, but Thomas could not get a clean look at the basket, and former Mercury player Cunningham drew a loose-ball foul on Copper to effectively end it.</p> </section><section id="section-9"> <p>Cunningham’s ensuing free throws gave her nine points off the bench, pitching in as Indiana filled the offensive void with Caitlin Clark sidelined. Clark returned on Wednesday from a back injury sustained against Phoenix, but sat on Thursday with the immediate turnaround.</p> </section><section id="section-10"> <p>Monique Akoa Makani scored 14 points off the bench for the Mercury.</p> </section><section id="section-11"> <p>–Field Level Media</p> </section></div> #Deadspin #Kelsey #Mitchell #lifts #Fever #Mercury #wild #finish

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